Survival

by J Marie

  After doing some quick stretching, I hopped on the treadmill and started with a warm-up run. After a few short minutes, I found myself pumping my legs as hard and as fast as I could as I ran my fucking heart out. Sweat was pouring down my face, and my heart was practically beating out of my chest as I ran as if my life depended on it. Maybe it was something deeper than that. I ran because it was the only time I would ever be allowed to. I wanted to run far from this place, and even if I ran to the other side of the world, it still wouldn't be far enough.

  Five miles later, I finally stepped down from the treadmill and practically collapsed on the floor. I needed to rest, and I needed water. Looking over to the corner of the room, I saw a mini fridge. Wobbling back and forth, I made my way to it and pulled out a bottle of water. Nearly downing the whole thing, I sat back against the wall and started stretching again. I needed to lower my heart rate if I wanted to lift weights. I knew I overdid it with the running, but damn, I needed to stretch my legs, and it felt good to finally unleash them properly.

  I looked over to my left to see the door Darren had expressly forbidden me from even standing too close to. Fuck. What I would give to get to train with the weapons he had in there.

  Once I was finally able to calm down, I looked around and noticed I had plenty of room to practice some acrobatics. I smiled as I got up, walked to the end of the room, and started into a running pace, dipping down for a cartwheel and then folding back into a back handspring. Damn, that felt good. I did a few more of those, landing perfectly every time as though I had never stopped practicing. It was like riding a bike. I worked on some front flips and front handsprings; even my kip ups and butterfly kicks came back to me easily. It felt so amazing to bring it all back into the light. I hadn’t forgotten my skill after all.

  I then looked over at the line of punching bags on the opposite wall. Pumping my legs hard, I charged at the bag and jumped high into a flying sidekick. I landed it square against the bag, sending it flying back on its chains. I didn’t have any gloves, but I didn’t care. I wailed into the bag, bouncing back and forth around it, light on my feet, and kicking it with everything I had. Following through with some open palms and elbows, I tried to keep the thin skin of my knuckles intact. I didn’t need Darren bitching at me if I fucked my knuckles up any more than they already were. I’d ask him for a pair of gloves and wraps later.

  With every hit I made, my ass pulsed from the bruises on my skin. I ignored it; too busy expressing some love on the bag to bother with that shit. I had a feeling I would have to learn to live with that kind of soreness often until I learned to shut my mouth. I had better get used to the pain then.

  After a few minutes of unleashing hell, I felt a sharp snap on my fingernail and instantly pulled my hand back from the bag, pain throbbing in the tip of my finger. I felt a slight twinge of fear as I looked down at the broken edge of the nail on my middle finger. Fuck, I just had these done!

  Realizing I was still probably being watched, I looked away from my hand and pretended nothing had happened, even though I had no idea how I could possibly hide it from Darren. There would probably be a fight later.

  Forgetting about it, I continued kicking the bag, throwing some reverse hook and sidekicks, knocking the bag in all sorts of directions until my legs were sore. I then headed over to the weight machines and started lifting. Nothing I could do about the stupid nail now, and I wasn't about to let the little busted thing ruin my workout. I worked my arms and torso hard, and the burn in my muscles felt so good as I pushed myself to the brink. I would push myself harder every day until I became stronger and stronger. Fuck, Darren. If becoming a body builder was what it would take to beat him, then I would do it.

  After about a half an hour of lifting, I finally felt exhausted enough to end my workout and head upstairs for a jet bath to relax my muscles. As I headed for the stairs, I decided to peek out the window of the front door, but only Scott stood out there smoking another cigarette. Wait ... was there blood on his hand? It was deep red still, so it was definitely fresh. My stomach twisted into tight little knots as I turned away and headed up the stairs, trying to block the image from my head.

  I knew I was dealing with dangerous people, but I didn't want to think about how sadistic they truly were. I wondered if Darren had partaken in the bloodshed or if he just directed it. I decided I didn't want to know.

  Once I got to the top of the stairs, I made a beeline for my room. I stormed into the bathroom and turned on the bathtub, taking my sweaty clothes off as I waited for it to fill. I first stepped into a short, cool shower to bring the swelling of my muscles down and then hopped into the warm jets of the tub. The water felt amazing as it massaged my muscles, and I relaxed until they felt like butter under my skin. Afterward, I switched to the removable showerhead at the side of the tub to wash and condition my hair and then washed my face and body. Once I had thoroughly rinsed myself, I stepped out and quickly dried off.

  Looking down at my busted nail, I tried to think of a way to fix it, but the only thing I could do was file it down to dull the sharp edges. I searched the entire bathroom until I finally found a nail file and vigorously filed the shit out of it until it was as smooth and dull. It would have to do until my Russian nail team returned. If they returned.

  I did my makeup in the other room, my mood suddenly lifting a bit when I realized I didn’t have to put much makeup on my chest anymore to conceal the bruise from Darren’s kick to my chest. It was finally nearly gone. I regretfully decided to go for a tighter light pink and dark pink striped tank top dress and selected a simple pair of nude flats. I dried my hair with the diffuser, keeping my natural curls intact and smoothed them out with some hair oil. I then stepped out into the hall and decided to do some more exploring of the house, hoping to prolong Darren's search of me.

  I wandered the halls downstairs, passing random guards who remained steady as I walked by them. They never looked at me, but I knew they were carefully watching me and I hated how uncomfortable it made me. Eventually, I came across a set of double doors I had not seen before. Why hadn't Darren shown me this room?

  I pushed on the handle, and it actually opened. Stepping inside, I looked up only needing to pick my jaw off the floor. It was a library. A massive, elaborate, old as fuck library. Red and gold tile checkered the floors and the dark brown shelves reached as high as the ceiling, which stretched to the second floor of the house. Numerous large windows let in an abundance of natural sunlight, warming the room while heavy burgundy drapes hung from bronze curtain rods. An old metal spiral staircase led up to the second level while several comfy couches, desks, and tables were scattered about the room. There was even an old school chalkboard and a few computers. I didn’t bother turning one on. I knew Darren had already rigged his house to prevent me from having any communication with the outside world.

  Well, duh, Jaden, as if he's going to let you wander around the house with the ability to contact anyone.

  Defeated, I walked along the bookshelves and studied the books in Darren's possession. I found fiction, history, non-fiction, autobiographies, and even children's books. I was in awe of his collection, but even though everything was as clean as a whistle, it looked like no one had touched a book in ages. I nonchalantly selected a random book from the shelves and looked it over, analyzing the age of the pages and catching the old scent of dust that lingered in the bindings.

  “There you are,” a deep male voice came from directly behind me.

  I instantly dropped the book and nearly jumped out of my own skin.

  On instinct, I jolted around, gasping in shock as my hands swiftly flung out to strike whoever it was behind me, but my wrist was stopped dead in its tracks as I came face with face with Darren directly behind me. He was now clutching my wrist and giving me a dangerous look. But my heart rate was already going a mile a minute from shock and panic.

  “Jesus Christ, don’t do that!” I yelled at him, fairly relieved now that I knew where he was bu
t now just angry from being caught off guard. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s not smart to sneak up on a black belt?”

  Darren chuckled as he beamed down at me in amusement while I snatched my wrist out of his grasp.

  “Sorry. Did I scare you?” He laughed.

  “No, you just caught me off guard,” I countered, eying him as I bent down to pick up the book I had dropped.

  “Maybe you should learn to become more aware of your surroundings then.” He smiled deviously as I placed the book back on the shelf.

  As if my situational awareness wasn’t already on par. I just found it hard to believe a man of his size could successfully sneak around unnoticed.

  “Or maybe I should just put a bell on you,” I replied crossing my arms. “Problem solved.”

  “Well, considering you’re the one with the collar, a bell would seem fitting for you, don’t you think?” he replied slyly.

  I narrowed my eyes at him, noticing how he had showered, shaved, and changed. He wore jeans and a black t-shirt with an open gray button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Goddamn, he was sexy, especially with those friggin tattoos. I loved a man with ink.

  “Nah,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders. “I’m not really the jingly type.”

  “I can see that,” he replied with a smirk. I decided it was time to change the subject.

  “How come you didn’t show me this during the tour?” I asked him as I looked around.

  “I guess I forgot about it.” He shrugged as he looked down at me.

  “How could you forget about a place like this? It’s beautiful.”

  He shrugged again. “This is where I was tutored as a boy. Once I went to college, I didn’t have much use for it. Books aren’t my thing. The only person who liked coming in here was my mother. Pretty sure it was her favorite place to be.”

  “I can imagine why,” I replied.

  “Don't tell me you're a bookworm, too.”

  “I might be.” I eyed him with a smirk. I could enjoy a good book every once in a while. He rolled his eyes at me and took my hand in his. Thankfully, not the one with the busted nail I was hiding from him.

  “Come on. I have a surprise for you.”

  “Oh, joy,” I said as he tugged me along like usual.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Spill

  Darren pulled me outside toward the woods, and we walked onto a path that led us deeper into the trees. I was super excited to get to explore some more of the estate, but as soon as we came to the edge of the trees, I got worried. But again, I relied on the trust I had that Darren would not lead me to a deliberate electrocution.

  As we got deeper into the woods, I could hear the sound of a river nearby, and sure enough, it was just a hundred feet ahead of us. As we came to the bank, I noticed there was a rather large hammock hanging between two trees. Darren led us over to the hammock, and he laid down on it before gesturing for me to climb on top of him.

  “Are you sure it’ll hold us both?”

  Darren sighed and rolled his eyes. “When are you going to learn to stop questioning me?” he asked sternly.

  “When you stop bending my trust,” I said without even thinking about it. I kept telling myself he wanted honesty.

  “Get over here,” he ordered, pointing at his chest. “Now.”

  I sighed in defeat, careful not to roll my eyes, and gently climbed on top of him as he directed me to lay my head down in the middle of his chest. To my surprise, even though he was solid as a rock, he was actually quite comfy. I kept my busted fingernail hidden in my closed fist and curled into my side, away from Darren’s prying eyes.

  “You need to stop testing me, little girl. It’s really starting to piss me off, and I am in no mood to be challenged today.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said softly, nudging my face to his chest. Maybe he would react better to cuteness rather than aggression. I had some experimenting to do.

  He released a big sigh and curled his arms around me, his hands rubbing my shoulders.

  “How was your workout?” he asked laxly.

  “It was good. Thank you, but …”

  “But what?”

  I hesitated a bit, suddenly afraid to ask him for something for some reason.

  “I’d really like a pair of gloves and wraps for the heavy bag … if that’s okay.”

  “What do you need those for?” he asked almost too innocently.

  “So I can hit the bag without injuring my hands?”

  “I’m not so sure I need you focused on trying to hit anything at the moment,” he said. I knew he was messing with me, but he almost sounded too serious.

  “Come on, Darren, you don’t want me going soft, now do you?” I played along with his little game.

  “Mmm, but I like you soft.” He smirked, his big hands caressing the skin of my arms.

  Ugh.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I’ll think about it,” he finally replied.

  He’d better not think about it for too long. I carried rage that needed an outlet, and I actually preferred something that wouldn’t hit me back.

  We were silent for a bit, just enjoying the sound of the rushing water and the birds chirping around us. It was really quite peaceful.

  “Jaden,” Darren finally said. “I want you to tell me about your father.”

  I groaned and tensed my shoulders.

  “Why?” I whined, hiding my face in his chest. “Why do you want to ruin this nice silent peace we’re having?”

  This topic could potentially bring me to tears, and I was tired of looking weak in front of him.

  “Because I need to know what kind of male authority you had in your life. Plus, I’m curious as to what he was like.”

  “I really don’t want to talk about it, and forcing me to talk about it will not end well for either of us,” I said angrily.

  “Jaden, so help me God, if you don’t tell me what I want to know right now, I’m going to tie you to this hammock and leave you here all night.”

  “Why are you doing this to me?” I practically shouted at him.

  “Because I can, princess.”

  “Ugh!” I groaned and tried to push off him, but he slammed me back down on top of him, his arms snaking around my back and chaining me to him.

  “Don’t you dare fucking move, Jaden. See? You’re already getting upset about the topic, and I haven’t even asked you a single question yet. You clearly need to lay your feelings on the table before they destroy you.”

  “You’re what’s destroying me,” I said into his skin.

  “Well, thank you.” He chuckled. “I thought I was doing a pretty good job myself.”

  “Fuck you,” I mumbled.

  And then his hand came down hard on my already sore ass, and I yelped at the contact.

  “Watch it, Jaden. That’s strike one.”

  I just groaned at him. Fucking strikes.

  “I’ll tell you what. Let’s start slow. Just tell me what he was like.”

  I was silent now, holding back my sniffles as Darren continued to berate me. After a few thoughtful seconds and attempting to ignore the new sting in my ass, I finally released a breath and answered.

  “He was everything to me. He taught me how to ride, how to play football, he was always there when I needed him. He was my rock.” I knew Darren would want more, so I started to tip the edge and spill my heart just enough to make a splash.

  “He was kind and gentle, strong and tough, and he never took any shit from anyone and he taught me to do the same. Never show fear, just your war face. That was his thing. Both he and my mother strongly encouraged my independence and to go forth in life with gusto and guts. He taught me the value of hard work and helping others. And he always had my back no matter what. So there, that was the kind of man he was.”

  I could feel Darren nod in acknowledgment. “He sounds like he was a good man.”

  “The best,” I replied. “And I miss him every day.
”

  “Was he the one who decided to have you trained so thoroughly in self-defense?”

  “Both my parents did. They wanted me to be able to protect myself. The same went for my brothers. They’re currently in Krav Maga.”

  “So, I’m guessing he wasn’t exactly the stereotypical dad who sits on the porch with a shotgun while he waited for your first date to arrive?”

  I chuckled a little. “No, he didn’t need to. He knew I could handle myself just fine without him.”

  “Or so he thought.” Darren smirked. God, fuck him.

  “I was taken on by four heavily armed men who had to tranquilize me to get me, and I still managed to inflict some serious damage on them. Even you couldn’t have gotten out of that.”

  “Obviously, you still have much to learn about me.”

  I rolled my eyes. He was such a narcissist.

  “So how did your dad pass?” he continued.

  “You already know the answer to that question, so why are you asking.”

  “You wanna go to strike two?”

  I clenched my fist until it shook.

  “No,” I huffed.

  “Then answer the fucking question,” he seethed.

  “Cancer,” I replied bitterly. Fucking shithead.

  He was quiet for a second as his hands tightened on my back.

  “Shitty way to go.”

  “Yeah, I supposed it was pretty shitty, huh? Just like the rest of my fucking life.”

  Then a hard smack came crashing down on my ass, and I cried out in agony as my ass cheek throbbed like a blinking red light.

  “That’s enough, Jaden!” he yelled at me.

  “Well, what the fuck do you expect?” I shouted. “This is a sore topic for me, and I’m pouring out my fucking heart to you and all you’re doing is hitting me for it!”

  “You need to learn to control your emotions. You let them get the better of you and that’s what gets you into trouble with me. Being able to control yourself around me will be a very beneficial trait for you to pick up quickly.”